Chapter 85
The rain was fine and the whole sky was foggy. Xie Chen was walking outside with a box in his arms. Lin Shuge caught up with him and held an umbrella for him. Xie Chen smiled and said, "It's just a little rain."
Lin Shuge glared at him and looked at the sky through the umbrella. "Why are we leaving today when it happens to rain? It's not convenient to travel on a rainy day."
Xie Chen put the box on the carriage and looked up at the sky with him, "Don't be afraid, brother. I think the rain will only last for a while and it won't be a heavy rain."
Lin Shuge raised his head and wiped his hair which had just been soaked by the rain. "Let's go, let's go inside first."
Xie Chen took the umbrella and held it over their heads. "Okay, I'll hold it. Brother, come closer to me."
The two walked back along the eaves. Lin Xuan was inside the house checking if there was anything left behind. When she heard the two people entering the house, she asked, "Is the rain getting heavier? Can we still go today?"
Lin Shuge placed his umbrella in front of the door, picked up the cloth and motioned Xie Chen to lower his head, "You can go, Zhongxuan said it will be sunny soon."
Xie Chen lowered his head obediently and let him do whatever he wanted.
Lin Qingyuan came out holding a bunch of things, "Wait for me, I want to take all these things away."
"How did you find a bunch of things again? Didn't you say that the carriage can't hold too many things?" Lin Xuan said speechlessly.
"But these are the gifts given to me by Aying and Yuanguang. I can't not take them." Lin Qingyuan felt a little aggrieved.
"Take it with you. It doesn't take up much space. If Xuan has any gifts from her classmates or teachers, you can take them with you." Lin Shuge spoke gently and touched the hair of the two.
Xie Chen took the things from Lin Qingyuan's arms, and after the three siblings went out, he closed the door.
"Let's go, we will be back eventually." Lin Shuge said while holding Xiaobai and standing at the door.
Xiaobai tilted its neck and called out to him anxiously a few times. Lin Shuge gently rubbed its head.
The raindrops hit the umbrella, making a thudding sound. The four of them took a last look at home in the rain and got on the carriage one after another.
After Lin Shuge got on the car, the little bai in his arms became a little restless and kept stepping on the legs of several people. Lin Qingyuan held it in his arms, pinched its paws and played with it for a while before it calmed down.
Xie Chen drove the carriage out. It was raining today and the streets were deserted. Xie Chen passed through the streets unimpeded. Lin Shuge said in the carriage, "Wait for Lu Yuechuan and Xiang Ligu outside the city. We will go together."
But after waiting for a long time, there was no reply from Xie Chen. He opened the curtain and was shocked by the scene in front of him.
County Magistrate Li and Zhou Du were seen standing at the front, followed by Xu Yu, the Qian family, and merchants from Ganzhou, and behind them were the people of Ganzhou County. The rain blocked their view, and only densely packed umbrellas and raincoats could be seen.
Lin Shuge got out of the car, and Xie Chen followed closely behind him, holding an umbrella for him.
He took a few steps to the front of the crowd and said, "Sir, you..." Almost instantly, a hint of red appeared at the corners of his eyes.
"Shu Ge, you are leaving today, so we are here to see you off. Once you leave, I guess I will be transferred to Longxi County. I don't know when we will meet again after this separation."
"Sir, can't you say something nice?" Zhou Du pouted beside him, "Brother Huai Ting, we agreed that if you have anything delicious or fun over there, I have to have a share."
Lin Shuge hummed softly.
Xu Yu interrupted, "Also, don't forget my manuscript."
As soon as he finished speaking, Zhou Du glared at him. Xu Yu glared back at him. Who was he glaring at?
Lin Shuge smiled and looked at the crowd. Someone in the crowd shouted "Sir" a few times.
A female voice sounded beside him, "Sir, I just made these foods today. They can fill your stomach for the journey. Take care."
It’s Li Wan.
"Thank you, ma'am."
"Madam Li and I have the same idea. This is a new style of pastry shop. You must accept it, sir." Le Yun said with a smile.
Before Lin Shuge could say anything, the people behind him were holding all kinds of food and trying to stuff it into his arms. The one who spoke the loudest was Wang Zhuzi, "Sir, sir, this is made by my wife... Don't squeeze me."
Someone was pushed to the front. That person felt a little embarrassed. Seeing Lin Shuge looking at him, he said, "Sir, you have helped me many times, but I have never repaid you." He took out something from behind, stuffed it into Lin Shuge's arms, saluted him, and stepped back a few steps.
Xie Chen looked displeased, and recognized that it was the scholar He Yan from that day, and took the thing out of Lin Shuge's arms.
Lin Shuge only took a few food items and said, "I appreciate your kindness. Let's all go back."
In the crowd, Madam Li wiped her tears, and a young lady next to her covered her face and cried. If Lin Shuge looked closely, he would find that it was Ling Xue, the person he rescued that day. She had changed back into women's clothes and was working in Madam Li's shop. Today, she heard that he was leaving, so she came to see him off.
Lin Shuge's eyes were slightly red, "Sir, let everyone go back, there is no need to see them off, and take care of yourselves."
Magistrate Li also wiped away tears, and together with Zhou Du, who couldn't stop crying, he saw him off. The people behind him kept saying, "Take care, sir."
Lin Shuge turned around and walked into the rain with Xie Chen. Until they got on the carriage, they could still hear the voice of "Take care, sir".
Lin Shuge said in a hoarse voice: "Let's go."
Xie Chen drove the carriage out of Ganzhou County. Seeing that Lu Yuechuan and Xiang Ligu had not arrived yet, he stopped the carriage, lifted the curtain and got in.
Seeing the depressing atmosphere in the carriage, Lin Shuge's eyes were red, Lin Qingyuan couldn't stop crying, and even Lin Xuan wiped away tears from time to time.
"Brother, they haven't come yet."
Lin Shuge touched his sleeve and found it was a little wet, so he wiped it with a towel and said, "I'll drive in a while, you take a rest."
Xie Chen gave him the gift He Yan had just given him, "Brother, take a look at this. I wonder what that scholar gave you."
Lin Shuge poked his forehead and said, "You've grown up, come again."
He opened the cloth and saw a letter inside. He Yan must have wrapped the letter because he was afraid that the rain would get it wet. He opened the letter with a smile, but unexpectedly, a few willow leaves fell out.
Before opening the letter, Xie Chen said in a somewhat sarcastic tone: "Liu means to stay. This is really a thoughtful thing. Brother, I think this scholar's reluctance to leave is all in this letter. Brother, won't you write him a reply?"
Lin Shuge took a quick look and found it was just an ordinary thank-you letter. He folded the letter and slapped Xie Chen, "If you keep talking nonsense, I'll throw you out."
"Okay, brother beat me because of him last time, and this time..."
Xie Chen held his head deliberately.
With a "puff", the twins burst into laughter. Lin Qingyuan even laughed so hard that he hiccuped, causing Xiaobai to look at him with a pair of round eyes.
Seeing that the three people had finally stopped indulging in sorrow, Xie Chen stepped forward again and asked for comfort a few times before giving up.
There were a few neighing sounds of horses outside, and Xie Chen came out first, "Brother, they are here."
Lin Shuge followed him out and saw two men wearing straw raincoats sitting on their horses.
"Lord Lin, sorry for keeping you waiting. Let's set off now." Lu Yuechuan said.
Lin Shuge replied "OK," and drove Xie Chen, who was still driving, into the carriage. He pulled the reins, glanced at the words "Ganzhou County", and drove the carriage towards Qingquan.
As they walked forward, the clouds disappeared and the rain stopped. The sun shone through the clouds, shining on the ground and making Lin Shuge squint his eyes.
Lu Yuechuan rode over and said, "Sir, why don't you take a short rest and eat something?"
"Okay." Lin Shuge tightened the reins, stopped the carriage, and shouted inside: "Zhongxuan, ask Ayuan and Axuan to come out for some fresh air. Let's rest for a while."
"Okay, brother." Xie Chen's voice came from the carriage.
Lin Shuge got off the carriage and pulled a handful of grass to feed the horses. Xie Chen jumped off the carriage and said, "Brother, have something to eat."
He handed the bread in his hand to him. Lin Shuge took it, took a bite, and sat down with everyone else.
"Sir, I forgot to tell you just now. Senior Brother Ye said he had something to do today and couldn't come to see you off, so he asked me to bring you a message. He said the road is long and the mountains are high, so take care of yourself. If there is a chance in the future, he and his family will come to you."
Lin Shuge picked up Xiaobai who was trying to snatch food from Lu Yuechuan and said with a smile, "Then I'll prepare a bed for you."
"We've been traveling for half a day, let's take a good rest. We haven't seen any people along the way, so we probably have to spend the night in the wild." Lin Shuge said, looking at the sky.
"Brother, let's take turns to keep watch tonight. Ayuan and Axuan should go to bed early." Xie Chen suggested.
Everyone nodded. Lin Qingyuan and Lin Xuan originally wanted to say that they could do it, but when they saw that the few people had sorted out the order in two or three moves, they stopped talking and decided to help keep watch in the second half of the night when the few people couldn't hold on any longer.
After resting, they walked for another half a day. Xie Chen saw a dilapidated house in the distance. He said loudly, "Brother, I saw a few abandoned houses ahead. Maybe we can find a place to shelter from the wind and rain tonight."
Lin Shuge came out and sat next to him, looking in the direction he said, and sure enough, there it was.
He asked Xie Chen to stop the carriage. Lu Yuechuan and Xiang Ligu saw the carriage in front stopped, and rode over and asked, "Sir, why did it stop?"
"Zhong Xuan just saw a few abandoned houses. It's getting late and there's not much left to go. Let's rest there tonight."
Lu Yuechuan was naturally happy to agree.
From a distance, the dilapidated house looked like it had been abandoned for a long time, but when I got closer, I found that it was actually in good condition and could be lived in.
Lin Shuge asked everyone to move their things in, and chose the most spacious room to tidy up a bit. "Let's stay in this room tonight. I'll cook something hot and you can have a good rest after eating."
Everyone naturally agreed.
Lin Shuge went to get something from the carriage, but saw Xie Chen standing in the yard looking around, "Zhongxuan, come over and help, what are you looking at?"
"Brother, I feel like something is not right. This house is shabby. I thought it had been abandoned for a long time, and there should be a lot of weeds growing in the yard. But I think the yard looks like it has been cleaned up, and it doesn't look like no one has lived there for a long time." Xie Chen frowned and said softly.
"Maybe it was an abandoned house not long ago, so there are still traces of people living here." Xie Chen took a small pot from the carriage, "Don't just stand there like an idiot, help me pick up some firewood."
Xie Chen had no choice but to go far away to collect firewood.
It was getting dark, but the house was bright. Lin Shuge fried a few dishes in the small pot he brought with him and ate them with bread. The group was very satisfied with the meal, and Lu Yuechuan even wished that he would cook for them every day in the future.
After eating and drinking, everyone was tired after a day's journey, so they found a place to rest. Lin Qingyuan and Lin Xuan huddled together holding Xiaobai, and Lin Shuge covered them with a blanket.
As night fell, the temperature was a little chilly. He came over to add more fuel to the firewood pile and looked at Xie Chen. "Rest if you are tired. You don't have to accompany me."
Xie Chen shook out the blanket, wrapped it around the two of them, and said in a low voice: "I'm not tired. If you are sleepy, just lean on me and sleep."
Lin Shuge smiled and said, "Then you take one hour, and I take one hour, and we'll switch roles soon."
Xie Chen nodded, stared at Lin Shuge's sleeping face for a while, and stared at the burning flames in a daze.
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